Advancement

“This is the time to innovate . . . .”

Reynolds Receives $250,000 Grant from Truist 

The J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation received a $250,000 grant from Truist Financial Corporation to open the doors of The Kitchens at Reynolds, providing workforce training at a pivotal time for the Richmond area. The grant comes through Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund at The Winston-Salem Foundation, and Truist Foundation.

“This is the time to innovate and commit to an equitable economic recovery,” said Reynolds President Dr. Paula Pando. “This gift from Truist Foundation is incredibly generous and perfectly timed. We know we can no longer wait to catalyze economic development and facilitate family-sustaining wages, especially for communities that have been underserved or never served. Reynolds is incredibly fortunate to have Truist as a partner in this work.”  

The Kitchens at Reynolds is among the new community resources located at 25th and Nine Mile Road. While it houses the college’s culinary, hospitality, and entrepreneurship programs, it also provides families in and around Church Hill with enrollment support to access the dozens of workforce and academic programs offered by Reynolds. 

“One of the reasons we chose to support this project is its ability to transform through a partnership with the community,” said Dan O’Neill, Virginia East regional president at Truist. “We’re committed to Truist’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Reynolds Community College has a vast toolbox to help individuals create the futures they see for themselves, their families, and neighborhoods.” 

With many Richmond's East End families devastated by COVID-19 and their loss of jobs and wages, an already-high rate of poverty is expected to climb. Truist’s support is helping workers reskill and upskill to land jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. “We’re in this work to help students reach their goals,” said Bess Littlefield, executive director of the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation. 

“In fact, Truist helped us with our own. With the bank’s gift, we met our fundraising goal of $10 million to open the doors of The Kitchens at Reynolds. We’re so grateful to Truist and all of the public and private partners who made this happen for our college and our community,” said Ms. Littlefield. 

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About Reynolds
Serving over 13,000 students annually, Reynolds Community College is the youngest and third-largest of 23 community colleges in Virginia. Reynolds operates three campuses serving residents in the City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan and Louisa. Learn more at www.reynolds.edu. 

About Truist Charitable Fund
The Truist Charitable Fund is a donor-advised fund created by Truist and administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation.

About Truist Foundation
The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. The Truist Foundation’s grants and activities focus on leadership development, economic mobility, thriving communities and educational equity. Learn more at www.truist.com/truist-foundation.

Employee Profile

Katelyn Eden – Counselor, First Year Initiatives

Where did you grow up? What was it like?

I grew up in Stafford, VA for most of my life with four brothers. I did gymnastics and cheer-leading as a kid so we stayed busy, and my mom runs an in-home daycare for work so our house was always full of love (and noise).

If you didn’t grow up here, what brought you to Richmond? What brought you to Reynolds?

My husband was actually my next door neighbor growing up, and we reconnected when he was at VCU for his biology degree and I was finishing up school at Radford. We decided to move in together and have called Richmond home ever since. I previously worked at VCU for three years as a School of Business undeclared advisor, and was ready to work with a different population of students and develop professionally, so Reynolds was the next step for me!

You have participated in 49 virtual SOAR sessions this summer, with seven left to go. What has been your most unusual Zoom experience?

We have had students try to zoom from a moving car so that is always a challenge, but so far my favorite was a student who joined us in a fuzzy robe from their bed. The 9 a.m. Friday sessions bring the most interesting situations. We also have siblings, children and pets join us too so that is always fun to get to know the students on a more personal level than I think we would have on campus!

What are the most rewarding aspects of working with
potential students?

I have the best job! I am sometimes the first person who gets to interact with new students who are excited to finally start college, and although all of the coordination is a challenge, I get to help set the tone for the rest of their college experience. The best part is onboarding new students from their very first interaction at orientation, and then seeing them approach graduation and beyond. We really do change lives in higher education.

If you had one extra hour a day, how would you use it?

With my dogs. Working from home has been a blessing and it has reminded me how important is it to slow down, take a walk, and cherish what we have. I have been soaking up the extra time with my pups and they remind me to enjoy the little things.

What do you like to do outside of your work at Reynolds?

We like to explore new parks in and around Richmond with the dogs. My husband and I are very close with our family so we visit Northern Virginia when we can to see our parents (who are still next door neighbors to this day).

What do like most about Richmond when you can get out and about again? Favorite places to visit? Favorite restaurants?

I enjoy how everything is so accessible. We try and save money, but we like to try one new restaurant a month (we have been getting take out recently and it’s still great!). We have a little place here in Mechanicsville named “More than Greek” and it’s some of the best food I have ever had! When we have guests we like to walk Carytown and visit Belle Isle as well - I really find that getting outside helps my mental health so much.

If you won $100 Million in the Mega Millions lottery what would you do with the money?

Help my parents retire early, and then buy a bunch of land and a farm. Our family is all animal lovers.